4 . Even light activity such as housework might help to keep the brain young, researchers say, adding to a growing body of evidence that, when it comes to exercise, every little helps.

Writing in the journal Jama Network Open, the international team of researchers report how they came to their findings by studying at least three days of activity-tracker data from 2,354 middle-aged adults from the US, together with the participants' brain scans.

From the latter, the researchers worked out individuals' brain volume, a measure linked to ageing: about 0.2% of the volume of the brain is lost every year after the age of 60. Loss or shrinkage (萎缩) of brain tissue is linked to dementia (痴呆), Spartano noted.

After taking into account factors including sex, smoking status and age, the team found that every extra hour of light physical activity per day was linked to 0.22% greater brain volume, equal to just over a year's less brain ageing. What's more, those who took at least 10,000 steps a day had a 0.35% greater brain volume than those who took, on average, fewer than 5,000 steps a day—equivalent to 1.75 years' less brain ageing.

However, the study has limitations. It used mainly white participants, and cannot prove cause and effect. The authors add that not all time spent sedentary is necessarily "bad" for the brain—particularly if people are engaged in a task that takes a lot of thinking.

Dr James Pickett, head of research at Alzheimer's Society, said, "Don't worry if you're not hill-running, but find something you enjoy and do it regularly, because we know that what's good for the heart is good for the head."

5 . Simon James is an super-trail runner (越野跑步者) who encourages people to reconnect with nature in the name of exercise. He has completed Super Trail in the Alps, the Andes and the Himalayas. A late-night bet with a client (客户) got him tied to running.

“In 2006, a business client challenged me one evening in a bar to a 36-hour walk across 54 miles of the West Highland Way, and I foolishly said ‘yes’,” James said. “He then rang me the next day to tell me we would be running it.”

At the time, James was 20 kilograms overweight and the longest he had run before that was just under 8 miles, but he managed to finish that run and has never looked back.

According to a report, two-thirds of adults in the U. K. are overweight, one-fifth suffering from depression (抑郁). The huge influence caused by modern lifestyle has worsened these issues. We are aware of the importance of exercise in everyday life, and no amount of virtual (虚拟的) meetings can make up for direct social contact. James said, “Only one thing can fix these problems-trail running.”

What is unique about trail running, he explained, is that “it reconnects us to our beautiful nature and connects our physical, mental and spiritual aspects, as well as providing us with an experience which can connect us to other people”.

Inspired, he quit his city life of working 16-hour-plus-days as a banker, and spent more time in trails and mountains.   

James is now in charge of the trail running company Run the Wild. He said every run has been a gift following a physical operation in 2015, even though his doctor told that he could hardly run again. He said, “The outdoors is such a great place for us all to experience.”

6 . LETHBRIDGE SPORTS HALL OF FAME

Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization comprised of members from the community who remember, recognize, and celebrate achievements of Lethbridge and area athletes and builders. Here are some of our 2020 nominees (提名者).

ATHLETE — JOLENE WATSON

Jolene Watson’s fierce efforts on the soccer pitch (球场) carried her all the way from Lethbridge to Oklahoma, where she carved out a record-breaking university career. Growing up in Lethbridg, she stood out on the pitch from early in her life as a three-time MVP of the Lethbridge City Select team from 1993 to 1996.

BUILDER — EUNICE DAVID

For nearly half a century, Eunice David has been the face of figure skating in Lethbridge. She is a hands-on volunteer, literally, as her introduction to the sport was helping to sew costumes when her children joined the Lethbridge Skating Club in the early 1970s. Within two years, she was elected to the club’s board of directors and had served the club for much of the next 37 years.

BUILDER — MARY DYCK

Mary Dyck’s passion for the spirit of sport has inspired her to make sure that spirit is accessible for as many others as possible. A university volleyball player, Dyck transferred to the University of Lethbridge in 1980. To stay involved while sitting out a year because of transfer regulations, she took a spot as an assistant coach, which motivated a passion that has carried her through nearly 40 years of coaching and organizing.

BUILDER — HOWARD RASMUSSEN

Howard Rasmussen is as close to a resident expert in southern Alberta volleyball as one will find. His coaching career started in Drumheller in 1972 when he took off the fall semester from university. He coached the high school boys’ volleyball team to a provincial championship.

8 . Nine out of ten U.S. high school students aren’t getting enough exercise, according to a recent study. Colorado State University (CSU) professor Kaigang Li researched the fitness and exercise habits of kids in their late teens. Rather than depending on surveys to get data (数据), Li asked the students in the study to wear accelerometers-devices (设备) that measure the amount (量) of physical activity — so that he could know how much daily exercise the teens were getting. According to the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommended (推荐) daily amount of exercise for kids to stay healthy, Li found that 91 percent of the 15-to-18-year-olds did not meet the requirements.

Earlier studies have shown that the amount of daily physical activity is likely to go down from childhood to late teenage years. For example, only 0.04 percent of 9 year-olds exercise less than an hour daily, but the number increases to 70 percent for 15-year-olds. And over the age of 15 kids become even less active.

Li found that, after high school, physical activity levels got even lower. Those who did attend college were slightly more active than those who didn’t, and of the college students, those living outside schools exercised less than on-campus students.

Kids who don’t get enough exercise often face serious health problems later in life. Li had a different set of recommendations for college students and those who don’t attend college.

“Colleges should ask students to do more physical activities -not just to build more centers, but to encourage students with more programs,” said Li.

For those who don’t attend college, Li believes that “government and communities” should know their needs and do more.

Part of the reason kids are not getting enough exercise may be because of the fact that only 29 percent of U.S. high schools have daily gym classes.

9 . Extreme sports are appealing to more and more people.     1     Meanwhile,a decline has been noted in other traditional outside activities,including basketball. This is most likely linked to several factors like the positive mental and physical health aspects of participating in an extreme sport.     2    

Extreme sports can push you to your physical and mental limits. Individuals who regularly undertake activities such as jumping out of an airplane actually change the chemical makeup of their mind. When this happens,they become more capable of staying calm and centered during stressful situations.     3    

Extreme sports task you with overcoming difficult physical challenges.     4    Studies have found a strong link between extreme sports and a higher level of self-confidence. This makes sense when you consider the fact that accomplishing a task so physically daunting(令人畏缩的)is something that you should feel proud of.

    5     Studies have even discovered that socialization is important for cognitive(认知的)functionality. This is another area where extreme sports receive high marks. Most of these activities are done with other people. For example,you're more likely to go skateboarding or jump out of a plane with a friend,which will help increase the bond between the two of you.